Camp is hell, say residents; authorities claim bogus proofs

The residents of Kathputli Colony have always been at loggerheads with the DDA and police ever since the DDA had awarded the contract of redeveloping the area to Raheja Developers in 2009. Ever since that, the residents were promised in-situ rehabilitation, the first of it’s kind.

Some of the residents say that they have been promised flats at the colony to be made by Raheja group, however, the formers are wary of the promise.

More than 500 families have already shifted around two years ago to the transit camp. However, more than 3,000 families remain at the colony. Many of them do not want to move to the transit camp as they say that they cannot find work there and have also slammed the move of making flats for them in Kathputli Colony.

When this reporter visited the transit camp, in gali number 10, Anand Parbat, several people were found inside selling snacks and making their food by burning firewood out in the open.

“I shifted a year ago. Yes, I do miss my colony but it is really clean here. Yes, the rooms are a bit small but we manage,” said Sahiba, a resident of the transit camp.

Sanjay Sachdev, AGM services, Raheja Developers, has claimed that the transit camp was a personal investment by Raheja and several crores of rupees had been invested in the Kathputli Colony redevelopment and the transit camp.

“We have 527 families who have shifted to the camp. There are around 2,800 housing units in the camp. We have a sewerage treatment plant, 15 house keeping staff, CCTV cameras, 40 mobile and 200 permanent toilets and also a school,” he claimed.

However, many residents have alleged that the camp’s drinking water is infected and is usually yellow in colour, because of which they regularly fall ill.

Speaking on the same issue, Saina, a magician’s wife said: “The biggest problem we face is that there is no school here. We have to send our kids to a government school several kilometres away.”

When Sachdev was confronted with this fact, he said: “We do have a school. We teach them to sit there so that they may learn how to sit in a school.” When asked if any teachers teach in the so-called school, he replied: “We have conducted various cultural programmes. I can show you the photos.”